Mobile photography has a long tradition, almost as long as mobile phones themselves, but the times when you snapped occasional photo with your phone only once in a while because the quality was terrible are long gone. Now many smartphones can be advanced enough to easily replace digital cameras. If you still feel unsatisfied with the choice of cameraphones, beware as the unlocked Panasonic Lumix CM1 is coming to the US featuring 20-megapixel camera, f/2.8 Leica lens, mechanical shutter and manual control ring.

Panasonic Lumix CM1 CameraPhone

Advanced camera is the main selling point of the Panasonic Lumix CM1, but the device also has other features worth commenting on. To begin with, the phone sports a 4.7-inch display which offers 1920 x 1080 pixels. Relatively small screen combined with Full HD resolution can mean only one thing – high pixel density which results in crisp images. Panasonic’s new offering is powered by a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor paired with 2GB of RAM and comes with 16GB of expandable memory, 2,600 mAh battery and Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box.

The Lumix CM1 is not the first cameraphone on the market. Remember the Galaxy S4 Zoom and its successor the Galaxy K Zoom aka Galaxy S5 Zoom? They were Samsung’s contribution to photography loving sector of the mobile market. Also Nokia used to make phones that focused on capturing image. Every new generation brings significant improvements to how such devices perform and takes mobile photography to a new level. With such components as 20-megapixel sensor, f/2.8 Leica lens, mechanical shutter and manual control ring, the Lumix CM1 can easily compete with the best point-and-shoot cameras.

The Panasonic Lumix CM1 was originally intended only for the European market, but it appears that guys from Panasonic changed their minds and decided that the device deserved a chance to succeed also in the US. The phone will hit the stores at unspecified time this summer and will cost a hefty $1000. The first to arrive in the US will be an unlocked GSM variant meaning that it will work only on AT&T and T-Mobile. Hopefully, a version compatible with other service providers will be available at some point in the future.